Sheep meat imports to the UK increased by 37% in 2024, with Australia and New Zealand's share rising, according to new AHDB analysis.
For the whole of 2024, sheep meat import volume reached 76,500 tonnes, mirrored by an increase in value of 29% to £353 million.
AHDB said the increase in imports was driven by the shrinking domestic supply, high UK farmgate prices and the co-incidence of religious festivals spurring demand.
Meanwhile, the UK's total sheep meat export volumes for 2024 saw a decrease of 5%, to 86,800 tonnes.
Imports from the southern hemisphere grew to meet UK demand, with imports from New Zealand, the majority supplier, up 51% to 45,800 tonnes and imports from Australia up 62% to 19,000 tonnes.
All product categories saw increases on the year, according to AHDB, but high value cuts such as frozen legs of lamb and frozen boneless cuts led the way, making up 27% and 19% of imports respectively.
Peaks in imports from the southern hemisphere were once again observed seasonally in March and June, but were far more pronounced than year earlier levels, the levy organisation said.
Australia’s proportion of imports continued to grow under the UK free trade agreement, with 62% of its 2024 30,566 tonnes sheep meat quota fulfilled.
Grace Bolton, AHDB analyst said: "Australia’s share of UK imports is increasing, potentially signalling a move to diversify their exports and reduce reliance on demand from China.
"However, the UK remains a small market for Australia, taking only 3% of sheep meat exports, by volume."
Total UK sheep meat export volumes fell by 5% in 2024 to 86,800 tonnes, driven by lower domestic supply with the lowest number of sheep slaughterings on record observed in October.
Ms Bolton concluded: "However, the value of UK sheep meat exports increased by 6% year on year to £599 million, likely reflective of strong prices both domestically and on the continent."
